Creatures Caves

• How has the Creatures Community changed, compared to when you first joined?

Being a relatively new member, I can't say that too much has changed over the last few months. Perhaps some aspects have slowed down a bit, but I do notice that there's usually something new or interesting going on. I suppose that the community is much more in-depth than it once was: Casual gamers don't seem to be a major part of the community, but that's most likely attributed to the fact that the series isn't very common.

• What are your thoughts on the community's current state?

After reading some of the responses, I'm shocked at the bleak outlook. Sure, Creatures is an older game without official support and it's more of a niche game than a mass market game. But consider the fact that C1 came out over 12 years ago, and the health of the community can't be ignored. Are there things that could be done differently? Of course. Yet I think that our collective mindset and spirit need to be somewhat optimistic about the future. With the games available at GOG, Creatures can be enjoyed by a much larger audience than the original players. I think there are many opportunities out there, and we just need to identify them and understand where we want the community to go. I was never a member of the community, but I hope my blog has inspired some to enjoy Creatures even more. I grew up with this series, as many of us did, and I think we need to focus on that passion and attachment as we move forward.

• What things do you think have boosted the community since Gameware's lack of activity?

Although I don't have any experience with the Gameware forums, I think this boils down to a lack of official presence. It's all about the community: Whatever we put in, we ultimately get back. If the general attitude is that the community is going downhill and will disappear soon, it will. I tend to think that everyone wants to be connected for a very long time, and make sure that Creatures stays alive. Additions, creations, and even stories seem to boost the community. Maybe we need more collective events to bring us together and show what we're really capable of.

• How do you see us moving forward (or not, as the case may be) from here?

I would love to identify some opportunities for growing the community. We need to figure out ways to draw in new members, as well as understand what keeps the current members active and interested. In a way, perhaps we're a little too fragmented, in that only the CCSF and a handful of projects bring us together a lot. I find my time is usually spent checking for updates, which are often sparse. Remember that the Creatures base games got us here: There are countless ways that the games can be modified and enjoyed. On the same token, there are countless ways that the community can come together.

• Will the community naturally dwindle without any official new releases, or is our fanbase and the third-party addons at our disposal (with the potential to create more) enough to keep us alive and kicking?

I think official new releases would be absolutely wonderful, and if we could somehow get Gameware or a similar company involved, it could give us the boost we seem to need. However, I think realistically we've been on our own for some time, and that we will be for the foreseeable future. With that said, though, I think we have a lot of potential to give ourselves the boost of energy and optimism we truly need.

• Say you had three wishes, from a Shee genie, how would you change the community?

This is a tough one! It's not so much that I would want to change the community, but more of the outlook and plans of the community. We don't seem to have a vision for where we're going... I know that when I started playing Creatures again, I would have been very upset if I was virtually alone. I can't stress enough how important and interesting the games are, and I wish that everyone in the community could be as excited and passionate about Creatures. All in all, I want the community to get on a path to surviving long into the future with a happy, fulfilled member base. Must we grow tremendously? Not at all: Growth is important, but even more so is making sure that our current members want to stick around.